"Kids!" Matilda shouted over the clamor of the furious crowd. "Get down!"
Knowing better than to question her, Cole, Philip, and Liana dropped to the floor, clutching their weapons and wondering what Matilda was up to. The bandits snarled in confusion and swung their weapons at the teens huddled on the floor.
"Confringo Maxima!" Flames burst from Matilda's wand and shot into the air, roaring and hissing like a monstrous, fiery snake. The room exploded with heat and panic, and the swirling fire burned several people. Cole stayed crouched on the floor, now grateful for staying low while anyone standing up met the fury of the flames.
Over half the gangsters in the room panicked or were burned. Their angry shouts switched to frantic cries, and many bandits stampeded out of the room.
Matilda finally put out the flames, and Dog Bone cried out from behind her. "Don't just stand there! Get her, before she destroys us all!"
Cole leapt to his feet and knocked down a couple of gangsters aiming their guns at Matilda. Philip and Liana defended themselves from several more assailants while Matilda shot curses at anyone foolish enough to come near. The crowd was much thinner now, though they were still outnumbered.
A middle-aged bandit with a crooked scar across his jaw swung swiftly and viciously with a thin sword at Cole, who was forced away from his friends, nearing a couple of doors that lead to a balcony that looked over the steep valley. Muscles burning, heart pounding relentlessly in his chest, Cole ducked a blow and pulled the man to the floor. They wrestled wildly, the bandit trying to slash at Cole's face while the latter attempted to knock him out with the iron rod.
The butt of a spear popped up behind Cole's shoulder and knocked out his opponent, turning, he saw it was Philip.
"Thanks."
"No prob'." He winked.
Sidicles suddenly sprang from the shadows at threw a potion bottle at Matilda, cackling.
The little bottle shattered against the side of Matilda's figure, and dark, sizzling liquid splashed onto her bright green shirt. The witch's wand clattered to the floor as she cried out in pain, clutching her side and reeling.
He was reaching into the folds of his robes when Liana whipped around and swung the nunchucks. The warlock stumbled to the floor with a cry of pain.
Dog Bone chose this moment to leap at the blond girl, brandishing a long, deadly-looking katana. Liana heard him coming and tried to dodge him, but he grabbed her by the hair and drove her into the wall, right next to the doors leading to the balcony. Matilda snarled and stumbled toward the bandit, forgetting that she had dropped her wand on the floor. She leapt for the man and wrapped her arms around his neck, hissing like a cat. Her wound hindered her, though, and Dog Bone flung the woman away easily. Matilda crumpled to the floor and clutched the burn at her side, which was bleeding rather badly.
The gangster locked Liana in an iron grip, sword drawn at her throat, then grinned at the boys. Cole pushed himself off the floor and started toward the man, but Dog Bone hissed. "Ah, ah, ah! I wouldn't do that if I were you!"
Both Philip and Cole glared furiously at the man holding Liana, clutching their weapons.
The bandit's cold eyes narrowed. "Drop your weapons."
They hesitated.
"Now."
Seething with fury, they slowly lowered their weapons onto the floor. Behind them Matilda attempted to sit up, then fell back with a low groan. Cole dropped the iron rod on the ground...
...And picked up Matilda's wand.
He didn't take his eyes off Dog Bone as he aimed the wand at him, nervously fingering the wooden stick. The gangster's eyes widened when he saw the wand pointed at him.
"Let. Her. Go." Cole hissed through clenched teeth.
Philip and Dog Bone both stared at Cole in disbelief while Liana fell still, obviously trying to figure out what was going on. Behind him Matilda drew in her breath sharply, whether from pain or shock he couldn't tell. Heart pounding in his rib cage, he pointed the end of the witch's wand at the bandit leader, hoping, praying, that he knew what he was doing.
"Let her go." He repeated, green eyes flashing.
Dog Bone scowled and only held the girl to him tighter. "You're not a wizard. You don't know how to use that thing."
Matilda attempted to get up in a sitting position, clutching her dark red wound spilling over. "Boy..." She rasped. "...You're a Muggle! Muggles can't use magic!"
"Yeah? Try me." He snapped.
Dog Bone was beginning to look nervous. "You're bluffing!" He insisted. "You don't know any of that hocus-pocus stuff!"
Cole's eyes narrowed. He recalled the time Matilda had blown up the tunnel. What was it she said...? Then he remembered.
"Don't you do it, boy!" Matilda cried out.
He raised the wand and opened his mouth. All eyes were on him.
"No--!"
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"
A force sprang down his arm and out the tip of the wand, and an explosion shook the earth. The building shuddered, and a great flash of fiery light flung Cole to the floor, the wand flying out of his hands. The curse shot toward Dog Bone, and the bandit ducked, letting go of Liana as he stumbled. The wall behind him burst apart, sending chunks of stone flying everywhere, grit and dust catching onto every surface. Liana shrieked, Dog Bone cried out. The roar of the explosion burst in Cole's ears, and he felt bits of stone rain upon his body, pattering like hail on his too-small clothes. Philip fell beside him, and Matilda grabbed the boys and sheltered their heads under her arms and chest, protecting them from the storm of rock. The wall crumbled and clattered, sending a great puff of dust throughout the room.
Coughing, Cole, Philip, and Matilda slowly raised their heads above the blanket of rubble and grit. Cole's spell had blasted a large hole in the wall, letting in the light of the early evening. Liana lay several feet away, motionless.
Matilda brushed a strand of dirty hair out of her face and glared at Cole. "Boy...That was probably the stupidest thing I've ever seen you do."
"Besides climbing up a cliff in the middle of a thunderstorm?" Philip jested weakly.
"A teenage Muggle using a witch's wand rivals even that."
"Well, I think what Cole just did was wicked cool." He then caught sight of Liana's motionless body. "Liana!"
Both boys pushed themselves up and stumbled over the the girl. Philip crouched down by her and gently shook her shoulder, a grim expression across his pale face. "Come on, Sis, wake up." He pleaded softly.
She stirred and flinched. Trembling, she pushed herself away from Philip and stared sightlessly about. "I can't hear." She whispered.
Cole realized that because she had been closer to the explosion, her eardrums were probably in shock, and she needed to "pop" them. He reached out touched her arm, but she recoiled. "I can't hear." She repeated, breathing heavily.
"Hush, now." To his surprise, Matilda reached over and pulled Liana into a soft embrace, stroking her hair softly. The girl stiffened at first, then relaxed in the woman's arms.
"Philip, hand me my wand." Matilda ordered.
Philip did so, and with a flick of her wand Liana's ears popped. "There, is that better?"
"Much." Liana smiled grimly.
A low groan sounded from the other end of the room, and Dog Bone rose up from the pile of rocks and rubble scattered across the room. Swaying slightly, he surveyed his surroundings with a glazed expression on his face. When he realized the damage done to his palace, his men, and even to himself, his face slowly flushed with a deep, burning rage. His hands rolled into balls, his eyes blazed with hatred, and his gaze met Cole's.
The red evening light of the setting sun reflected off Dog Bone's torn, black coat, making the seething man look as if he was on fire. He may as well have been, his eyes blazed like the flames flickering in the corner.
"You." He hissed through clenched teeth. Cole gazed back at the man, refusing to be daunted by his anger.
"You." Dog Bone repeated. "You--!!" He then screamed things that nobody in their right mind should ever say. The man snatched a sword off the dirty floor and advanced toward Cole, eyes gleaming dangerously.
Before he could strike at the boy, however, Matilda shot off the floor and shouted. "Expulso!" The ground before the bandit exploded, tearing apart the floor. Dog Bone recoiled and cried out, and around them the building trembled.
"Run!" Matilda shouted. "Go, now! Get out of the building!" She pulled the teenagers to their feet and shoved them toward the hole in the wall. Philip grabbed Liana's hand and ran to the hole, hopping over bits and pieces of rubble.
Wiping grit from his face, Dog Bone shouted, his face red with rage. "No!" Brandishing his sword he leapt for Matilda and slashed at her. She dodged his blow, but just barely. It was clear her injury was hurting badly.
Before Dog Bone could smash the witch, Cole snatched the burning tapestry that had fallen earlier and flung it over the man's head. The flames licked the cloth wildly, and the man cried out from underneath, struggling to free himself of the heavy blanket. Cole hopped away from the writhing man and pulled Matilda to her feet.
"We need to get out of here!" She groaned, clutching her dark red wound. "This place is going to fall right on top of us!"
Sure enough, the roof above their heads was creaking ominously. Cole's spell had done some serious damage, and unless they wanted to be squashed like beetles, they had to hop out of the building and race down the steep valley.
Matilda and Cole raced over to Philip and Liana at the wide hole, and jumped.
Philip and Dog Bone both stared at Cole in disbelief while Liana fell still, obviously trying to figure out what was going on. Behind him Matilda drew in her breath sharply, whether from pain or shock he couldn't tell. Heart pounding in his rib cage, he pointed the end of the witch's wand at the bandit leader, hoping, praying, that he knew what he was doing.
"Let her go." He repeated, green eyes flashing.
Dog Bone scowled and only held the girl to him tighter. "You're not a wizard. You don't know how to use that thing."
Matilda attempted to get up in a sitting position, clutching her dark red wound spilling over. "Boy..." She rasped. "...You're a Muggle! Muggles can't use magic!"
"Yeah? Try me." He snapped.
Dog Bone was beginning to look nervous. "You're bluffing!" He insisted. "You don't know any of that hocus-pocus stuff!"
Cole's eyes narrowed. He recalled the time Matilda had blown up the tunnel. What was it she said...? Then he remembered.
"Don't you do it, boy!" Matilda cried out.
He raised the wand and opened his mouth. All eyes were on him.
"No--!"
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"
A force sprang down his arm and out the tip of the wand, and an explosion shook the earth. The building shuddered, and a great flash of fiery light flung Cole to the floor, the wand flying out of his hands. The curse shot toward Dog Bone, and the bandit ducked, letting go of Liana as he stumbled. The wall behind him burst apart, sending chunks of stone flying everywhere, grit and dust catching onto every surface. Liana shrieked, Dog Bone cried out. The roar of the explosion burst in Cole's ears, and he felt bits of stone rain upon his body, pattering like hail on his too-small clothes. Philip fell beside him, and Matilda grabbed the boys and sheltered their heads under her arms and chest, protecting them from the storm of rock. The wall crumbled and clattered, sending a great puff of dust throughout the room.
There was a single moment of silence, in which Cole flew through the air. As if he was stuck in slow-motion once more, he was aware of the sunning setting behind the dark, snow-covered trees, making the glittering snow sparkle like fire. The steep, dirty valley sloped sharply before him, leading downwards away from the castle. He fell, a single moment of flying through the cold northern air.
Then he, as well as the others, tumbled to the ground below the palace. Behind him Cole heard the walls creaking, stone crumbling to the ground. The roof caved in behind them, and with a final cry Dog Bone was no more.
Cole had barely stumbled to his feet wiping dirt off his hands when Matilda turned around and paled. "Merlin's beard...!" She breathed.
The teenagers turned around and realized to their horror that one of the looming towers, greatly disturbed by the explosion, was swaying. A low rumble shook the earth, and bits of rubble flew down from the crumbling tower. The burning structure leaned to the left, then swayed to the right. The massive building protested loudly, the base of the tower cracked and crumbled. Then, it began to fall.
The tower was falling on top of the little group.
"Ancestors save us...For the love of Merlin," Matilda shrieked. "RUN!!"
All four whipped around and raced down the hill, their blood pounding harder than they ever had before. The crumbling structure groaned as it fell, pieces of glass, stone, and dirt rained down. Matilda leapt like a nimble stag down the sloping gorge, ignoring the dark red wound staining her bright green shirt. With brown leggings instead of a dress, she fairly flew down the slope, eyes ablaze while Philip galloped a foot or so ahead. Liana's arms pumped as she flew, and Cole ran faster than he ever had in his life.
There was a chilling moment of silence, then the tower hit the ground. Stone shattered under the impact, the earth shuddered violently. The crash burst in Cole's ears, shaking his bones.
Me too. Like, in RoE, what she smashes Leaf or Talon or Matilda! I have some suspicions that a specific one of those three will get smashed because of her role...
